Looking for anemone lighting advice.....

[Herbie]

Hey all,
Just looking for some advise on lighting from the anemone lighting experts.
I have a dedicated tank set up for a large H Crispa anemone. The tank is a 54 corner rr, (running a Herbie overflow style :wavehand. Its not a reef tank, but mostly a tank to house the anemone and a pair of occ. clowns, and a few other fish, its full of live rock.
By large Crispa, I mean Large :eek1:. It is approx 16" + across. Its foot is buried in the sand behind the rock mass, and sometimes its tentacles will reach the surface of the water. Not so much reaching for the light but its just that large when its fully expanded. I will see if I can post some pics . The tank is working out well because of the corner layout, and the anemone is anchored in the comlpete corner, so when it expands it doesnt take up too much swimming room for the fish.
Presently I have a Giessmann 230 suspended over the tank. 1 150w halide + 2 24w t5. It working out well, but it does heat the tank a little bit. If the water is even remotely cloudy, the halide is like a point source of light. 54 Corners are difficult to light! Any fixture larger than a 24" fixture wont fit.
I am thinking about switching to a complete t5 set-up. Just wondering if you guys recommend this, and how many bulb fixture should I be looking at, 4,5 or 6? I would like to keep approx the same intesity/par as I have now, perhaps a little more to see if the anemone will not reach up so far. The tank is 20" deep.
I am still old school, halide and VHO days. Dont really know enough about T5's to make the best evaluation. I would like to get away with 4 if that possible. A nice ATI, or Tek light would be nice. Just would like an oppinion on how many bulbs, and if anyone can recommend a bulb choice for me.
Thanks in advance,
Herbie

 

[Jacwil]

I think a 4x24w ATI Powermodule would do you just fine!

 

[garygb]

I would say Tek or ATI would be fine, they both have good individual reflectors. I would opt for the 6 bulb fixture myself, that would give you a wider band of light. As far as bulbs, ATI Aquablue plus gives a nice blue look and for a daylight, GE produces high PAR and is economical. I suggest you go to the Lighting and Equipment Forum and find the T 5 thread. There's tons of info. there about fixtures and bulb combos.

 

[garygb]

Here's the last page of the thread, I didn't realize how long it is. You can start here and r go backward a ways to read up on stuff or go to The Grim Reefer's webpage for info. He's also quick to answer questions and very knowledgeable.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1706461&page=368

 

[Herbie]

Thanks for the reassurance. I am hoping I can get away with 4 T5's. Less heat and watts than my 150w halide set-up, but mostly, a 54 corner is too large for a single halide. I am getting a spotlight effect if the water is not 100% clear. A 54 corner is an odd tank to light properly....... I can only fit a 24" fixture, but the front pane stretchs almost 44" across. Thats why I am thinking T5. Shame, because the Giesemann is such a nice high quality fixture.......just not working for my tank shape well.
Anyway, doing some research and the ATI Powermodule seems to be the clear winner. A lot of hype about how a 4 bulb powermodule will out perform any other 6+ bulb T5 fixture. Has something to do with the reflectors,ballasts and the fans that keep the bulbs at the correct temps. Who would have guessed that :wildone:. Seems like a winner. Lots of light,good par with the right bulbs low heat, low watts, and should light the tank evenly. The only con is the price. Time to start shopping :lol:
Thanks for the help...........:beer:
Herbie

 

[davocean]

My Crispa clearly loved all the light I could throw at it.
Mine grew to 2 feet in diameter, so make room for growth.

 

[Herbie]

Thanks for the opinions guys. I wound up getting a 4x24w ATI Powermodule. I will update when I get it next week. Still hoping It will do the job for me. I was hearing a lot of talk about how the 6 bulb ATI was bleaching corals and some nems. I think the 4bulb will be more than enough for the tank. Also happy to cut back on the watts, and heat!

Gary, thanks for the link on the T5 info. I think I have a headache from reading way too much abou T5's !!!

Herbie

 

[rguyler]

Herbie, I know you said you already purchased the ATI but have you considered LED? The kits are reasonably priced these days and you could make something very custom with just a little work that would give you exactly what you want instead of trying to make something work that may not be quite right. Changing the ratio of whites/blues you can get exactly the color you want while providing tons of blue light for photosynthesis. An added bonus is that power consumption is very low and the LED light spectrum should hold up for around 10 years.

Just a thought. There are lots of folks here on RC (including me) who are jumping into LED lighting and having awesome results.

 

[Herbie]

Herbie, I know you said you already purchased the ATI but have you considered LED? The kits are reasonably priced these days and you could make something very custom with just a little work that would give you exactly what you want instead of trying to make something work that may not be quite right. Changing the ratio of whites/blues you can get exactly the color you want while providing tons of blue light for photosynthesis. An added bonus is that power consumption is very low and the LED light spectrum should hold up for around 10 years.

Just a thought. There are lots of folks here on RC (including me) who are jumping into LED lighting and having awesome results.

I have already done some "experimenting" with LED's. Wasnt real impressed with the colors (cree's too!), and I didnt care for the led spotlight effect . I couldnt get the colors just right, either too blue or too yellow. From my experience, the blue color you get from LED is a very different blue than you get with a halide,T5, VHO or actinics. Its just a bright royal blue, not at all like you would see naturally in the ocean. Halides, or florescents are much closer at replicating true colors, the way it looks in the ocean imo. Yes, I know first hand as I am an avid Diver. To me, the colors that LED's are producing (right now), are just wierd looking........again, imo. Proof ?..... Not that this means anything but....... Only 1 tank running LED lighting was featured as TOTM in 2010. Most are either Halide, T5 or a combination of both.

My first choice is Halide, hands down. I am just trying to come up with a close alternative, both color and intensity, to around 12k-14k. Close to a Pheonix halide. Trying to avoid all the extra heat and wattage that comes with halides.

IMHO, I think LED's still have a little way to go. On the other hand, I think T5 has reached its pinnacle. Not much more can be done to improve a high quality T5 fixture (like an ATI Powermodule), and proper bulb selection. A lot of r&d has been put into T5 now, while LED is still a learning curve imo.

I am hoping the ATI Powermodule I settled on will do what I am looking for.

Thanks for the info so far guys.........
Herbie